Museums | See Treasures from China’s Lost Civilization at the Bowers Museum

China’s Lost Civilization: The Mystery of Sanxingdui Arrives at the Bowers Museum

Bronze head with gold mask at Bowers Museum

Discover one of archaeology’s greatest mysteries with exhibit China’s Lost Civilization: The Mystery of Sanxingdui at the Bowers Museum in Orange County.

View important treasures from around the world including objects from the discovery termed “the ninth wonder of the world” and acknowledged by many scholars as one of the greatest archaeological finds ever to be unearthed. In 1986, construction workers accidentally uncovered an astounding cache of more than 200 ancient jades, weapons, burned animal bones, more than 60 elephant tusks, monumental bronzes and a life-sized statue of a nobleman at Sanxingdui, about 24 miles outside of the Sichuan Province capitol of Chengdu.

Excavations at Sanxingdui reveal the remains of a sophisticated culture who excelled in their bronze making abilities. See these artifacts including three of the largest masks in the form of human heads with supernatural features including large wing-like ears, monstrously protruding eyes or ornate appendages. China’s Lost Civilization presents more than 120 of the most important discoveries from both Sanxingdui and Jinsha and examines the great mystery of who this 3200 year old culture was. Through March 15, 2015. 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana, 714.567.3600. bowers.org